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2015 Martin Ray Diamond Mtn. Cabernet Sauvignon

96 Pts | James Suckling

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$85.00

SKU: MRZ15CSDM

Top 100 American wines of 2018 | James Suckling

The Vineyards

We sourced the grapes for our Martin Ray Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon from two very different, but complimentary vineyards: Constant Vineyards on its rugged volcanic soil, and Andrew Geoffrey lower on the mountain with its highly variable silty loam. The vineyards enjoy a climate where mornings are typically brisk and fog-free, while northwesterly winds continually cool the vineyard throughout the long growing season. These unique mountain vineyard sites provide a variety of nutrient-rich soils, superior exposure to sunlight and evening cooling for small, intensely flavored berries and fragrant, flavorful wines.

Vintage Notes

The culmination of factors from another drought year in California surprised us with another wonderful vintage. An unseasonably dry and warm winter, which led to an early spring, forced the vines into bud break during peak frost season. However, the spring weather stayed mild during fruit set and led into a relatively warm summer which hastened ripening to unprecedented early harvest dates. Although the crop, overall, was lighter (and much earlier), than we’ve seen in several years, the outstanding quality of the fruit and resulting wines cannot be understated.
HARVESTED SEPTEMBER 28TH

Winemaking Notes

All contributing lots are fermented in small 4-6 ton open top fermenters with at least thrice daily pump overs for cap management. After the wine has finished fermentation and gone dry, it is allowed to rest on its skins for up to a month before being drained and pressed via the gentle basket press. Aged for 18 months in 80% new French oak.

Tasting Notes

This monster Cab certainly lives up to its Mountain origins with bold, brooding notes of cassis, marion berry, with subtle notes of eucalyptus. The rich, plush palate, supported by Diamond Mountain’s famous structure and grip, lead into herbaceous touches of dried marjoram, green peppercorn and a definitive minerality, rounded out by graphite and dried plum. With integrated oak backed by fresh acidity and strucutred tannins, this wine has the propensity to age very well.